krause



(No ModeL) G. E. KRAUSE 8c A. KRAMER.

l HINGE. No'. 444,445. I Patented Jan. 13,1891.

FEE--L UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

GEORGE E. KRAUSE AND ANDREV KRAMER, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

HINGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 444,445, dated January1S, 1891.

' Application led July 22, 1890. Serial No. 359,493. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE E. KRAUSE and ANDREW KRAMER, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion andState of Indiana, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements inHinges, of which the following is a specification.

The object of our said invention is to produce ahinge particularlyadapted for use with bed-lounges or sofa-beds, which will permit thefront of the structure to remain smooth when folded up, instead of beingdistended or having the protuberances caused by the use of ordinaryhinges.

Said invention will first be fully described, and then pointed out inthe claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof,and on which similar letters of reference indicate similar parts, Figurel is a perspective view of a bedlounge provided with our invention, apart of the upholstering being broken away to show how the hingeembodying said invention is applied thereto; Fig. 2, a detail elevationof the hinge and parts of the rails to which it is connected in the sameposition as shown in Fig. 1, on au enlarged scale; Fig. 3, a viewsimilar to Fig. 2, showing the position the hinge occupies when thestructure is partly folded; Fig. 4, a detail perspective View showingthe position and relation of the parts when the lounge is unfolded readyfor use as a bed; and Fig. 5, a similar View from the rear side showingthe ianges on the hinge parts, which are set into the wood of theframework.

In said drawings, the portions marked A represent the frame-work of thelower or permanent portion of the sofa-bed or lounge; B, the frame-workof the upper or folding portion, and C, C', and C2 the three parts ofwhich our improved hinge is composed.

As shown, the frame-work of the lounge or `loed is of a usual andwell-known form. At

the point on the front side where the two frames A and B are hingedtogether they are substantially open, the rails which connect the twoend pieces being secured to the bottom side of the part A and to theopposite side of the part B, respectively, so that when the frame isopened out in position for use as a bed there are no rails cutting thebed in two.

Heretofore when common hinges were used the middle portions of thehinges, including the pintles, have projected out in front of the frameof the lounge or bed when folded up, forcing out the upholstering whichcovers this front portion and leaving protuberances on the front of thelounge when in the folded-up y position. This is manifestly not onlyunsightly, but subjects those portions of the upholstering so forced outto unusual and unnecessary wear, and sometimes, when such portions comein contact with other substances, cuts or wears holes through theupholstering, thus spoiling the appearance of the lounge as an articleof furniture. We are aware that devices for obviating this difficultyhave heretofore been produced, but we are not aware that any hinge hasbeen produced which embodies all the advantages of our improved hinge,which will now be more fully described.

As before stated, our improved hinge consists of the three parts C, C',and C2. The parts C and C2 are preferably quadrantshaped, as shown, andare connected to the inner adjacent corners of the end pieces of theframes A and B, while the part C is connected to said parts C and C2 bypivots c and c2. Said parts C and C2 have ianges c, which are let intothe corners of the frame to which they are attached, thus giving greaterstrength and relieving the screws of a considerable portion of thestrain. The part C also has a projection c3, with which the elongatedend of the part C engages when the lounge is opened out in position fora bed, whereby said part C, through the three points c', c2, and c3, isenabled to act as alever or bar to sustain the edge of the foldingportion of the lounge which is nearest the permanent portion, while notinterfering with its free movement. The other edge of the foldingportion is sustained in the ordinary manner by legs attached thereto,which are preferably folding legs, but which, being no part of thisinvention, it is not necessary to describe herein. By the arrangementdescribed it will be seen that our improved hinges thus not only servethe purpose of hinges perfectly and obviate the unsightly protuberancescaused by oldfashioned hinges, but they serve also to sustain one edgeof the folding portion of the structure. The part C2 also has aprojection c4, as shown, and, as illustrated by Fig. 3, this comes incontact with the upper edge of the part C when in the process of foldingthe structure the folding part has reached an upright position, and fromthis point this projection carries the part C around until it reachesthe position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In this (the completely folded)position, as will be seen by an examination of said iigures, the side ofsaid part t) rests against the projections ofl and c4, and thus theseveral parts of the hinge when in this position are brought into acertain and exact relation, the front edges thereof, and also the framesto which they are connected, being brought donitely and certainly intothe same perpendicular plane.

Having thus fully described our said invention, what we claim as new,and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, in a hinge, of the three parts C', C2, and C,connected together by pivots, said part C having a projeeticn, and saidpart C having an elongated end extending under said projection, itsother end being free to move on its pivot, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

2. The combination, in a hinge, of the two parts C and C2, adapted to beconnected to a frame-work, and the link (l, connect-ing said t-wo partstogether, said part C2 being provided with a projection which, when itis partially folded up, comes in contact with the side of the link andcarries it from that point forward to the final position, substantiallyas shown and described.

3. The combination, in a hinge, of the three parts C', C2, and C, saidparts C and C2 being adapted to be attached to a framework and providedwith projections c3 and c, and said part (i being connected to said twoparts C and C2 by pivots and adapted when folded up to come in Contactwith said projections c and e4, whereby the edges of said parts arebrought into and held in the same plane, substantially as shown anddescribed.

In witness whereof we havehereunto set our hands and seals, atIndianapolis, Indiana, this 17th day of July, A. D. 1890.

GEORGE E. KRAUSE. ANDREW KRAMER. [L

\Vitnesses: j

CHESTER BRADFORD, 'FRANK W. Woon.

